The Kingdom of Aiglatsia
by Lucretia Angulus
Summary: Sakura, a peasant girl, stumbles across a near-dead soldier from a foreign place. She nurses him back to health, but his presence brings grave danger, forcing her to abandon everything she knows and to uncover who she really is. SasuSaku AU, R
1. Chapter 1

**EDIT: I've decided to slowly go through each chapter and edit them. I wrote these in 2008, when I was still a middle schooler, so of course they're pretty bad. Anyway, enjoy the edits, and if you're a new reader, well, enjoy them anyway! (12/12/12)**

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**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto.**

**Errr, I've decided to… quit 'A Boy's Life' for now. Don't kill me? I felt so bad when I got a bunch of e-mails telling me that people added my story to their favorites after I decided I wasn't going to continue (for a very long time). I'm starting this new fanfiction, so don't be too harsh on me .**

**School starts for me in a few days, so expect some slow updates. I'm entering high school, so I'm not sure about the workload. :P**

**CHAPTER ONE**

It was early on a November day. The sun's first rays shot over the mountains, turning the clouds a bright pink. The first of Konoha awoke to a cool and foggy morning. As the sun rose higher into the azure sky, the village slowly came to life: the common folk trickled into the streets, the elders setting up their merchant stalls while the young ones helped them to the best of their ability. Thus began a new and normal day.

However, it was to be a not so normal day for Sakura. Sakura lied asleep in her small bed, unaware of the loud bustling of the marketplace she lived next to. It was not until her mother had stormed into her room had Sakura woken up.

"Oh, I told you! You never go to sleep when I tell you to! Its noon already—hurry and get up!" her mother fussed as she yanked the thin blankets off of the groggy girl. Slowly sitting up, she rubbed her eyes and yawned. Her mother harrumphed and stormed out of her room.

Sakura shuffled toward her table and looked into a hand mirror as she brushed her hair. She stared at her reflection: dull green eyes, limp pink hair, and a pale complexion—and not to mention, an unusually large forehead. As always, she sighed, set the mirror on the table, and went out to the kitchen to eat breakfast.

Sakura knew she was not a normal girl. What set her different from the others were her unusual pink hair and green eyes. Her mother, however, had brown hair and brown eyes—unlike Sakura, she looked normal. Oh, how she longed for a change to her appearance… She abhorred how the other children threw pebbles at her and called her horrible names. "You are simply unique," her mother had said one day when Sakura ran to her crying. Although this had not comforted her one bit, she quickly learned to put on a strong face because she didn't want to worry her mother.

Needless to say, Sakura detested her pink hair.

She didn't have a father to compare herself with—or rather, she knew of no father to compare herself with. Did he have green eyes? _Pink_ hair? Sakura often laughed at the thought of it, but in the end, she would have nothing but a blank image in her mind. She knew nothing of her father. Whenever she asked her mother about him, her mother would sigh and look away. Over time, she learned to stop asking.

"Sakura, I need you to gather some herbs for me," said her mom, bringing Sakura out of her thoughts. "I've ran out of hornfire and I'm low on inkroot."

Sakura nodded and grabbed a straw basket from the counter. Her mother was a healer—they frequently had patients come in everyday. Often times, Sakura would watch her mother tend to the wounded and she would learn a great deal. Her mother sometimes let her fix small wounds; Sakura would often insistent that she knew how to do other things, but her mother would always shake her head. "No, Sakura—this isn't practice. These are real people," her mother would say. When Sakura wasn't watching her mother, she would be making medicine—pastes and oils—with gathered herbs from their garden or the forest that gated their backyard. Sakura knew nearly all the herbs there were, as well as the medicines she could create with them. She also knew exactly where to find them.

The straw basket hanging from her elbow, Sakura stepped out the backdoor, past their small garden, and into the forest. Pushing through the trees, she made sure to avoid tripping over thick tree roots and bumping into branches. A few minutes passed until she stopped before a small clearing in the trees. Among the grass and clusters of clovers were sprinkled patches of tiny crimson and black flowers—hornfire flowers. Sakura bent down to pluck them from the earth, but something else caught her eye.

Hidden behind a tree, a black haired boy laid leaning against a large tree trunk. He wore the clothes of a soldier: a navy cloak and black leather cuirass. She could tell he wasn't a soldier of Konoha—their uniforms were green. At first, Sakura thought he was merely sleeping until she saw the blood on his stomach and chest. She climbed through the foliage and quickly examined his wounds: arrow wounds, deep sword wounds… Sakura felt for his pulse on his arm. He was alive. Perhaps she could…

"I'll be back," she whispered. Sakura grabbed her basket and hurried back to her home, gathering tiny cuts on her hands and cheeks from the branches in the process. She ignored the stinging on her face, determined to return as quickly as possible.

Her mother had started growing a garden long before Sakura was born. She had planted many kinds of herbs—common herbs—that were very useful in her craft. Sakura picked a few from their places and snuck inside her house, making as little noise as possible. Her mother's voice drifted from behind a large white curtain that separated the patients' room from the rest of their small home. _Good_, Sakura thought, _she's working on a patient_. She found all the things she needed: a basin of lukewarm water, a white washcloth, strips of cloth, some bread, and a waterskin.

Carrying her heavy load, she made it back as fast as she could to the clearing in the woods. Sakura stepped around the tree to where the boy was, but no one was there. No sooner had she taken another step when she felt a cold metal pressed against her throat.

"Who are you?" asked a voice behind her. It was the voice of a young male, perhaps the same wounded soldier she had seen earlier. Sakura tried to move her head to see who it was, but the knife dug deeper into her skin.

"I… I'm S-Sakura…" she managed to stutter out. She heard him grunt—it sounded like he was struggling to breathe. His grip on the knife loosened.

"I found you here, wounded," she continued, cautious with her choice of words. "I am an apprentice of a healer."

He took the knife away from her throat and she turned around. He was about a head and a half taller than her. She could tell he was examining her pink hair, but she didn't say anything. Instead, she stared at his face. _The face of an angel_, she thought—impeccably smooth skin, a straight nose, perfectly shaped lips, midnight black hair that framed his pale face, sculpted perfectly as if he were a statue born of the most dexterous hands. But his moving dark eyes, studying her with such intensity, betrayed the accuracy of that metaphor.

Sakura set down the items onto the grass, moving slowly. She knew he was following her every motion with his eyes.

"What's your name?" she asked, glancing up.

Silence.

Sakura frowned.

He took a step toward her, but stumbled and fell to his knees. His breath came in quick, ragged gasps.

"Please, lie down," Sakura insisted. Surprisingly, he obeyed her without a word and fell back onto the ground, as if he had been struggling to hold himself up the whole time. Without hesitation, she dipped the white washcloth into the water-filled basin, twisted the dripping washcloth of the water, and gently wiped his face of sweat. Though she tried to not look into his eyes, his gaze made her feel uneasy.

"Why are you helping me?" he finally spoke.

"Do you think I would leave a heavily wounded man to die in the middle of the woods?"

"...Hn."

A few more minutes passed before either of them spoke again.

"Er," Sakura began. She blushed and looked down at her lap, the washcloth clutched in her hand.

"What is it?" he asked.

"Er, I need to tend to your wounds… They're quite deep, and I don't want them to be infected and—"

The soldier sat up, wincing from the pain. He removed his cloak and cuirass. Then he unbuttoned his bloody shirt and laid back down, his upper body completely bare. Sakura turned a deeper shade of red, but she dipped the washcloth back into the basin and began to wash the blood off of his body. In the process, she let her fingers brush over his chest and his well-formed abs. She had never been _this_ close to a male before.

"You don't live near here, do you?" Sakura asked, knowing he probably wouldn't answer.

"No."

"Right." Sakura began to dab the oils around his wounds. "So where are you from, then?"

He simply continued staring at her. _Great,_she thought, _maybe it's my pink hair. Stupid hair. Stupid._She sighed internally and started to bandage his wounds. Still silence. After she finished, she picked up a bundled cloth.

"Are you hungry? I got some bread for you."

He appeared completely fatigued, but he didn't make any effort to tell her. He turned his gaze to the bundled cloth.

"Your loss." Sakura undid the cloth and there laid six steaming golden biscuits. The look on his face changed immediately from indifference to ravenous hunger.

"Go on," she handed him one. Hesitating, he took it and took a small bite. The whole biscuit was gone in a matter of seconds.

"I already ate, so these are all for you."

"Why are you doing this?" He grabbed another biscuit from the cloth.

"I already told you. I spent nearly my whole life healing the injured. And I found you here injured. So I'm healing you. It's that simple."

Sakura filled her basket with hornfire flowers as he devoured the rest of the bread. She handed him the waterskin, and he took it.

"Sasuke," he said.

"Excuse me?"

"My name is Sasuke."

"Sasuke," she repeated, tasting his name on her tongue.

"I can't stay here."

"Oh, I know. Don't worry, I'll get mom to let you in our house, because we have a lot of beds—"

"I mean I can't stay in this town. It's dangerous."

"Dangerous?"

Sasuke looked around, taking in his surroundings. "I'll stay in the woods."

"You can't stay out here!"

"I'll be fine."

Sakura opened her mouth to protest again, but Sasuke gave her a sharp look. She decided to close her mouth.

"Well, I guess… Just don't move around too much or your wounds will reopen… And I'll be back tonight to check them, okay? I'll bring some more food."

"Hn."

Sakura emptied the dirty water from the basin and threw in the bloody washcloth. She gathered everything back into her arms, gave Sasuke one last look, and disappeared through the trees.

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**Author's Note: Okay, it's short. Whatever xD**

**If you don't want to waste your time, then don't read my author's note. If you want to find out about my summer, then you can. Lol. Oh yeah, and I turned fourteen like, three weeks ago :D**

**OKAY, so my summer was freakin AWFUL. My boyfriend broke up with me a few weeks ago and God, I went into a deep depression. Well, I feel loads better now, but I still can't find any inspiration to continue 'A Boy's Life'. I hoping this fanfiction will have a better story structure because when I look at 'A Boy's Life', all I see is a whole bunch of loose plot strings. I have big plans for this one, though. As you can tell by now, it takes place in a sort of medieval era. I'm working harder on character development this time, so the story will be clearer.**

**Well, hope you enjoyed it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**EDIT: Updated, edited version! (12/13/12)**

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**Disclaimer: I don't know Naruto.**

**Next chapter up! 'njoy :D**

**Soundtrack: 1-Tifa no Theme (Piano Version) by Uematsu Nobuo**

**2-So Much Love by The Rocket Summer**

**3-Sunrise Highway by Straylight Run**

**4-Chelsey Dagger by The Fratellis**

**CHAPTER TWO**

Sakura rarely went outside on Saturdays, especially to the marketplace. Over the weekends, the roads were packed with traveling venders and their stalls, swarming crowds of people, and groups of bored, mischievous children scattered throughout the area. But today, she was on a mission. She donned a cloak, hiding her hair with the hood—if there was ever a chance to hide her hair, she would take it.

Slipping outside of her house with a pouch of coins, she hurried through the crowds. She didn't stop until she reached a stall near the end of the marketplace—a small, dark stall, hardly noticeable between the massive stalls where it stood.

"Ah! If it isn't Sakura-san," spoke a mellow voice before she had the chance to pull down her hood. A tall, young man with messy black hair and striking grey eyes emerged from the shadows. "How may I help you today?"

"Caleb," she nodded, greeting him. "I need some clothes—something you've already made, nothing too fancy."

"Yes, I have quite a selection."

"Men's clothes?"

Caleb gave her a playful smile as he opened a few boxes stacked behind his stall. "Now just _who_ are you buying these for?"

"A friend of mine." Sakura stepped behind the stall to look through the clothes. There were quite a lot for a space so small.

"Aw, I'm jealous," Caleb rested his elbow on her shoulder and leaned his head on his hand. "So, got what you're lookin' for?"

Sakura grinned at his gesture, not minding the extra weight on her arm. Caleb was one of her few good friends—and a fine weaver. However strange it was for a man to be making clothes, Caleb was exceptional at twenty-one years old. Sakura had met him when she was very little, and he had taken an interest in her pink hair. Of course, he teased her about it, but he didn't mind it and never went so far as to bully her. He was five years older than her, but they grew to be close friends.

"Yeah, I have it." She pulled out two white long sleeve shirts, admiring his workmanship.

"That'll be ten silver and five bronze."

Sakura handed him fourteen silver coins, laughing. "Stop giving me discounts just 'cause we're friends. And plus, these are really well made."

"Oh, please." Caleb tousled her hair (earning himself a glare) and smiled. "Go off to your boyfriend now."

"I _don't_ have a boyfriend!" She bundled the shirts under her arm. "He's just a friend, and I'm helping him out is all."

"Right, right. See you!"

Sakura waved and set back for her house. It didn't take her long, but she had to sneak inside without catching her mother's attention. Fortunately, her mother was taking care of a patient, so Sakura slipped through the backdoor unnoticed and vanished into the woods.

"Hey," she called out, once she stepped into the clearing. "I got some things for you."

"I'm here," said a voice to her left. Sakura walked toward the large tree, finding Sasuke leaning against the trunk. She handed him the bundle of clothing. "Yours is torn and bloody… So I thought you could change into these instead. And do I need to refill the waterskin?"

Sasuke shook his head and took off his shirt before he lied down. She replaced his bandages quickly, trying hard not to stare at his body. After she finished, he donned one of the new shirts and put on his cloak.

"Alright! So, what do you want to do today?" Sakura sat next to him. She had visited Sasuke for the past three days by now, giving him everything he needed to get better. He had a large appetite, so she frequently had to shop in the marketplace for food. His wounds had been healing at a good pace. The more time Sakura spent with him, the more he talked to her, but they never talked about Sasuke himself. So far, she hadn't gotten anything from him about why he was here, or who he was; rather, he asked her many questions about Konoha, and other times he would ask her questions about herself.

Sasuke stared at her for a very long time before answering, making her uncomfortable. Usually he would say that he wasn't interested in doing anything, but this time his lips formed into a smirk. "Let's train you."

"_Train_ _me_?" Sakura's eyes narrowed. "For what?"

Sasuke unsheathed his sword. "Sword fighting."

She stared at him. "Why?"

He gave her his own sword, but didn't answer her. Hesitating, Sakura took it, but once Sasuke let go, she nearly fell over from the weight. Sasuke's smirk grew wider.

"Hey, I'm not a perfect swordsman. Swordswoman. Whatever."

"You're holding it wrong," he stepped up close behind her, and put his arms around her to adjust her arm's position. Her breath hitched in her throat, Sakura tried hard to hide her deep blush. This was the closest she had been to Sasuke, and he was practically hugging her! It seemed like he paid it no attention, though, even though she found it incredibly difficult to follow what he was saying. Finally, but what seemed like too short of a time, Sasuke stepped back.

"Okay, try to hit me."

"Hit you? Are you insane?"

Sasuke sighed. "Just try."

Taking a deep breath, Sakura stepped forward and swung the blade within Sasuke's vicinity. He moved slightly to the right, the blade missing him by only a few inches. Sakura grimaced.

"Again," she urged. She swung, missing him again by a few inches. They carried on like this for half an hour until Sakura was completely out of breath.

"I can't hit you! It's impossible."

"No, it's not. You're getting a bit better. Go back to the marketplace, find a good blacksmith and purchase a sword. You can use some of my money. Then we can spar as soon as you get one."

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That night, Sakura lied completely exhausted on her bed. Singing and laughter floated through her window—on many nights, like this one, the venders would close up their shops and gather together to play cards and drink heavily. The sounds of these nights usually calmed her nerves and helped her sleep, but tonight, Sakura's mind was occupied with something else. She slid off her bed and grabbed the mirror off her table. She stared at her reflection for a long time before grimacing at what she saw.

"Dear God," she said to her reflection. "Why do I have pink hair? It's so stupid."

"I think not, Sakura-saaan."

Sakura almost dropped her mirror. She turned around abruptly, only to see Caleb peering through her window. He grinned at her.

"Ahh! How long have you been there?" She stuffed the mirror underneath her blankets.

"Just got here. How've you been?" Caleb rested his elbows on the window sill. "Can I come in?"

"Yeah, sure, sure. I've been good. Say, do you know any really good blacksmiths?"

"Blacksmiths? Well… I know one who's really good. His name's Alex. What would you need to see a blacksmith for?"

"Just wondering. For my friend," Sakura lied.

"Ah, your boyfriend again, huh?"

"No!"

"So quick to deny it, eh?" Caleb's grin widened. She rolled her eyes.

"In all seriousness though, Alex has been my good friend for a long time. He's expensive, but if you say you know me, he'll probably give you a discount. Alex lives a couple miles from here. Just go along the path, walk all the way past the marketplace and into the village center. He has red hair, blue eyes… He'll be easy to spot. But if you get lost, just ask around. Lots of people know him."

"Alright. Thanks."

"Right. Anyway, I came to ask you something."

"Yeah?"

Caleb paused. Then he leaned in and in a hushed tone, he said, "There's this strange guy hanging around your house. I think he's following you… I noticed him the other day when you visited my stall. Have you noticed him at all?"

Sakura shook her head. Sasuke was the first person to come to mind, but would he really be following her around in broad daylight like that?

"Oh… He wore a blue cape and kept his hood up. I haven't gotten a real good look at his face, so I don't know anything else. I… I think he had a sword with him."

Then it _was_ Sasuke.

"Well, don't worry. I don't think he's after me or anything. I'll keep an eye out, though. Thanks for letting me know!" She laughed it off, hoping Caleb's suspicions would be quelled.

"No problem," Caleb said, placing his hand on her head. "You be careful, kid."

He waved goodbye and departed through her window. After lying back down on her bed, she pulled out the mirror and examined herself some more. _Maybe Sasuke's worried about me?_ she thought. _Nah… He wouldn't be worried about me. Besides, he's probably sleeping right now…_Sakura felt a weariness creeping into her body. She yawned one last time before drifting off, but not before she thought she glimpsed a cloaked man watching her through the window.

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"Sasuke," Sakura called. "Are you there?"

"Yes," he said, appearing through a cluster of bushes. "What's wrong?"

"Are you stalking me or something?"

"What do you mean?"

Sakura studied his face. He looked genuinely surprised and confused. She had decided to ask about the cloaked figure the morning after, before she went to purchase her sword.

"There's some guy in a _blue _cloak carrying a _sword_ following me around. What does that description sound like?"

Sasuke's face blanched. "Following you around?"

"Yeah, that's what I said." Sakura sighed. "Look, it's okay if you follow me around, just tell me—"

"Sakura," he said slowly. "It's not me that's following you."

"Eh?"

"We need to get out of here… But we need to get your sword first."

"Wait, what are you talking about? Get out of here? For what?"

"I didn't realize that I would put you in this much danger."

Sakura took a step forward. "Sasuke, I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Listen to me! I don't have time to explain. Just… hurry. Purchase the sword and start packing immediately when you get home. I'll keep watch over you while you make your trip to the blacksmith."

"I'm not moving one bit until you tell me what's wrong."

Sasuke sighed audibly, clearly exasperated. He looked uncomfortable, but he spoke anyway. "I'm being followed by a unit of dispatched soldiers from the nearby kingdom of Aiglatsia. I… have something that they want… But…" He looked away, obviously unwilling to continue on.

"Ai…Aiglatsia?" Sakura said. "What—"

"Just go! Hurry up. They've figured out where I am and they've figured out that you're helping me. They—"

There was a rustling in the bushes next to them. Sakura tensed, Sasuke reached for his sword. A small rabbit popped out through the leaves, its nose twitching innocently at them.

"…Anyway. You have to get the sword. Go." Sasuke sighed.

Sakura slowly turned and began walking back to her house when she suddenly felt someone grab her around the waist and lift her from behind.

"What are you doing?" she yelled, flailing her arms and legs. "Put me down!"

"You're too slow," Sasuke grumbled. "We'll go behind the houses, hidden in the woods from watching eyes." He ran through the trees, carrying Sakura over his shoulder with surprising ease. Along the way, she informed him about Alex the blacksmith, hoping Sasuke knew where he was going. She gave up trying to get free half way there, allowing him to run even faster. They arrived in the village in less than ten minutes' time. He told her to ask around for the blacksmith's whereabouts—and to keep her hood on, as well, to prevent anyone from easily spotting her. Caleb was right; the first person Sakura asked knew exactly who Alex was and pointed her to the right direction.

"Let me handle choosing the sword, Sakura. You probably can't tell the difference between a broadsword and a rapier," Sasuke remarked somewhat condescendingly before they stepped into Alex's shop. Sakura rolled her eyes and followed him as he greeted the red haired man.

"Oh, so yeh know Caleb, eh? Good friends, are yeh?" Alex grinned through his ruddy beard.

Sakura nodded.

"Wonderful. Whaddyeh need?"

Sasuke stepped forward. "I would like to see your selection of swords."

"O' course. Follow me."

Sakura and Sasuke followed him into the back room, where the loud clanging of metal against metal sounded louder and louder. Alex led them into another room, lit by three lanterns, each hanging off the left and right walls. Rows and rows of swords lined the room in sturdy racks, and there was a small collection of swords laid out on a black blanket in the corner. She followed him as he quickly walked through the rows, carefully yet hastily speculating each sword. He stopped right in front of the collection of swords on the floor.

"May I?" he gestured toward one of the pieces and Alex nodded. Sasuke gripped the handle and picked it up. He swung it a couple of times and then handed the sword to Sakura. It was much lighter and a little bit shorter than Sasuke's, and, in her eyes, much more elegant. Tiny silver leaves and vines looped around the hilt in an entwined pattern and a small emerald decorated the tip of the pommel.

"The swords lined up on the floor are swords that I've collected over the years," Alex said. "I forgot where I got that particular sword… I think an acquaintance o' mine found it for me."

"An acquaintance?" Sasuke took back the sword from Sakura. Alex nodded.

"Yep. The sword would be around a hundred gold coins, but I'll give it to yeh for about twenty five. Caleb's good friend an' all."

"Are you su—" Sakura started to ask, but Sasuke cut her off. "We'll take it."

Sakura glared at him. He smirked.

After they purchased Sakura's sword, they promptly left the blacksmith's shop, Sasuke said, "Well that wasn't so bad, now was it, Sakura? Now we have to hurry back."

Sakura kept the sword hidden under her cloak. "Where are we going after this?"

He didn't answer her. They were in the woods, running again. This time she ran with him, trying her best to keep up.

"Um… Sasuke?"

"You need to get to your house and pack. Quickly. Don't say anything to your mom."

"Why? Where are we going?"

"You're not safe here. We'll be going to a friend of mine's… He lives near the border of Konoha. Don't worry. I'm sure you'll be able to come back home soon."

Sakura couldn't tell whether he really thought she could return, but she didn't say anything. "What about my mom?"

"She'll be fine."

They continued through the woods until they reached her backyard. Just in case her mom saw her, she gave Sasuke her sword and stepped into her house.

"Oh! Sakura. There you are. Where've you been all day?" Sakura's mother appeared through the white curtains. "There's someone here looking for you."

"Where are they?" Sakura suddenly wished she hadn't given her sword to Sasuke.

"Outside. They're walking around the marketplace. I told them you'd be home soon."

"Oh, okay. Well... I'm a bit tired, so… let me rest for a few minutes and I'll meet them then."

"Alright. They'll probably be here soon. They said it was urgent."

Sakura slipped into her bedroom. She found a small pack and threw in anything she needed—her comb, mirror, an extra dress, and another waterskin. After making sure her mother had returned to the patient's room, Sakura searched the kitchen for extra food—primarily bread and meat—and took mini glass jars of common medicines. After she finished gathering everything, her pack was a bit heavy, but she could definitely handle it. She hated leaving her mother like this, but if she didn't leave now, Sasuke would drag her out of the house, claiming that it was only for the best. Her hand rested against the door, paused in movement, but she forced herself to push it open.

After taking one step outside, she heard a loud knocking—pounding, almost—against the front door.

Without looking back, she ran, disappearing into the woods.

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**Author's Note: Phew! Thank God for Labor Day Weekend. Otherwise I probably wouldn't be posting today xD**

**Sorry this chapter ain't filled with loveydovey SasuSaku-ness. I think it's more of an adventure fic… Well, I want it to be full of SasuSaku love, but I want it to be exciting too. I want it to be, like, an actual book you'd pick up and read about. You know. Stuff like that.**

**Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it!**

**xoxotia**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto**

**Author's Note: BTW, everyone, my friend just mentioned to me that there is something called Aeglaesia or whatnot from Eragon… Just wanted to let you all know that I did NOT mean to copy from Eragon at all. The name Aiglatsia was taken completely from my mind… so yeah… just wanted to clear that up ^^;;**

**CHAPTER THREE**

Cold.

Damp. Water, dripping.

The light, quick taps of a mouse skittering across a stone floor.

The flickering of a small fire in the middle of a cave. Shadows dancing along the walls.

Nose twitching, the tiny rodent scuttled closer to the fire, the only source of warmth. A second later, it squeaked; however, its squeak was cut short by the sharp blade that sliced down the middle of its body, splitting it open as droplets of blood splashed across a rock.

"Nasty little things", muttered a young man, clothed in the garments of a soldier—dark blue cloak that covered his entire body save for his black boots.

"Aelar," a voice said softly, but with a dangerous tone of warning.

The soldier straightened up from his slouched sitting position immediately. "Er, yes sir, general!" A soldier sitting beside him shot him a small smirk.

The general, sitting across from Aelar behind the fire, also wore similar clothing. Except his dark blue cloak had an elaborate silver snake coiled loosely around a silver 'A' embroidered onto the back. His hood was up, casting a shadow across his pale face. Then he spoke again.

"Soldiers," he began by addressing the fifteen blue-cloaked men sitting around the fire. "You should all know by now what we are doing was… specifically demanded by the King himself… I expect nothing less than what he expects… from all of you."

Aelar winced. The general was indirectly admonishing him.

"…And you should all know that… capturing the Uchiha will not be… an easy task."

The general raised his head slightly, but high enough that every single soldier could see the blood red eyes glowing through the shadow on his face.

"…Yes sir!" they all shouted in unison.

* * *

Despite the heat of the day, all the warmth had faded with the disappearing sun, leaving the chilly cold to creep in with the night. This did not cope well with Sakura, for she had only brought a thin cloak with her. She clutched the dark material closer to her body as her and the silent blue-cloaked Sasuke marched on with her through the thick woods, foliage surrounding them everywhere. The shivering pink-haired girl wondered how Sasuke could ever recognize anything or continue on their path without sparing their surroundings a second glance. She made sure to stay close to him in fear of getting lost.

A few more minutes of nothing but the loud rustling of leaves from them pushing branches and bushes out of the way sounded in the air before Sasuke stopped walking. Sakura bumped into his cloaked back.

"We're going to rest here", he said.

Sakura looked around only to see that they had went sideways off their path to stop close to a river that Sasuke probably had been following north the whole time. They set up their camp under the cover of the trees, making sure that they were not in plain sight. After a fire had been lit to provide them warmth, Sasuke ventured off somewhere near the river to do some cleaning off. Sakura used that time to lie down on the hard dirt ground and soak up the warmth being emitted from the fire. Hands placed under her head, she closed her eyes and allowed her mind to wander about the things she had been worried about the most ever since she left her home. Ever since she had left her home three days ago… Was Mom okay? Sakura knew she probably should have stayed to protect her from the soldiers… but could she have done anything anyway, with how weak she was?

A loud thump next to her head made Sakura jolt up from her reclined position. Looking next to her, she spotted a black sheathed sword that she recognized as hers. Then she looked up. Sasuke had his own sword unsheathed; Sakura knew that meant he wanted to spar. Groaning, Sakura lifted herself up and pulled out her sword as well. "Come on Sasuke, can't you give me a break? We've been sparring everyday and it's making my body really sore."

"Tomorrow you rest," he said, stepping forward and bringing his sword around to hit the left side of her waist.

Quickly, she blocked his attack with her own sword as she had been taught to a few days ago, and then attempted a roundhouse kick to his head. He swiftly grabbed hold of her ankle and threw her effortlessly into the air. Though surprised that Sasuke had pulled such a move so easily, Sakura quickly regained her composure and grabbed a tree branch high in the air and, struggling, managed to lift herself up onto it. She barely had time to think before Sasuke was right in front of her in midair about to strike again. Blocking his attack caused the force of his strike to lose her balance and make her fall off of the branch. Sakura, knowing that he always brought up something new in their spars—this time it was fighting above the ground—, had to think of something quick. It was a long way down to the ground and Sasuke was close above her. Suddenly, with all her strength, she drove a quarter of her sword into the trunk of the tree, using the momentum from the fall to yank herself upward and land a hard blow to Sasuke's stomach. Pushing the bark with her left hand, she pulled out her sword from the trunk with her right hand and placed her feet on the trunk, using it as an extra boost to push herself towards the ground. Finally looking down, she realized her mistake when she caught sight of Sasuke on the ground right below her with his sword posed, ready to jump up. A second later, he was headed the same speed toward her as she was falling to the ground. Just in time, Sakura pulled her sword in front of her with both hands to block his sword, but the impact knocked her sword out of her own hands and she began to fall faster down to the ground.

_Crap_, she thought as she neared the dirt and rocks faster and faster, and braced for the soon-to-be painful landing. However, instead of rocks, a strong pair of arms greeted her back. Sasuke's strong pair of arms.

"That was a short but good spar," he suddenly smirked, looking down at her. "You're a fast learner."

Blushing furiously, Sakura pointedly looked away. "I bet you were just going easy on me again."

He chuckled. "If I wasn't going easy on you, you'd be dead by now."

"Well someone's modest today. You can put me down now, by the way."

Realizing he was still carrying her bridal style, Sasuke suddenly dropped her on the hard ground.

"Ow!" Sakura pushed herself off of the ground and patted the dirt off of her clothes. "I didn't mean drop me like _that_!"

"Hn", came his short but seemingly amused reply.

They proceeded with her training. Nearly every night they would practice by sparring for a while, and afterward, Sasuke would mention the errors she made during their spar and correct her with repeating the scenario until she got it right. Soon, an entire week since they left Sakura's village had passed by, and on Sakura's hands grew smooth calluses and the soft frame of her body grew lean and fit. Needless to say, by a week's time, she had learned countless sword-fighting techniques. Sasuke had told her her biggest strength was her strength itself—incredible at times when she could even manage to knock Sasuke a bit off balance sometimes.

Even though Sasuke technically was her teacher, their relationship never seemed like that. Instead, Sakura didn't even know how to describe their relationship. Sometimes Sasuke would act totally friendly and other moments he would keep to himself and be completely antisocial. But the one thing that stayed the same was that he never talked about his past. Sakura gave up after a while, figuring that she would get nothing out of him no matter how hard she tried.

On the eighth day, Sasuke informed her that his friend's home was very close by and they would reach it by night fall. This brought her spirits up, since she was getting tired of the nightly cold baths in the river and badly cooked deer meat for nearly each meal. Sasuke's predictions proved right when, by night, the sweet sight of the twinkling lights of civilization reached their eyes. Both Sasuke and Sakura gladly quickened their pace. A half hour passed before they finally reached the tall black gates of the village, though they stayed hidden by the trees, making sure not to be seen by the guards.

"We need a plan," Sakura whispered. Sasuke nodded. After a minute of thinking, Sasuke spoke again.

"I'll take off all armor… Hide it in the pack you're carrying. It's big enough. I'll put on clothes to look normal but I can't be wearing the cloak. As for you, you look normal enough to pass as a common traveler."

Agreeing to the plan, Sakura turned her back to give him some privacy. The soft rustling of clothes sliding against skin. The un-strapping and unbuckling of belts. Her cheeks colored a deep shade of red as she began imagining a naked Sasuke, but she shook her head to clear the image. Finally, a couple minutes later, Sasuke handed her a neatly folded stack of dirty clothes and armor wrapped in his dark blue cloak. Thankfully, it fit in her pack without looking too bulky.

"What about our swords?" Sakura asked. Sasuke contemplated this for a quite a while, knowing that they couldn't go in carrying swords in plain sight. That would only cause a scene. Sakura's pack was already full and much too small to fit both swords.

"Sakura… Can you act?"

She immediately realized the gist of his plan. "What kind of act?"

"Hmm… Actually leave this to me. Just act like you're incredibly sick or wounded when we get down there. But first, wear both of our swords." Sasuke handed her his and watched her put it on the other side of her waist. "Cover it with your cloak."

She tried to close the front of her cloak, but the two swords looked weird through her thin cloak.

"Don't worry about it. Are you ready to go?" Sasuke asked.

Sakura nodded, not sure what he was going to do to get them in. But if they had to resort to violence, they would definitely succeed in taking the two guards out in less than two seconds; however, they wanted to appear as normal as possible to everyone else. They couldn't afford any slipups or they could be found out by the soldiers looking for them.

They made their way to the gate only to be expectedly stopped by the two guards.

"Hey, stop right there. What are you two doing here?" barked one of them.

"We are mere travelers… This is my wife," Sasuke gestured to Sakura. Sakura pretended not to seem surprised, knowing that any questionable act would cause suspicion, but she couldn't help but glance at him. Ignoring her, he continued on with his story. "We've haven't had shelter for a week and my wife has been deathly ill… A friend of ours here has promised to help us."

Feigning a cough, Sakura tried her best to give puppy eyes. She was hunched over, trying to make the swords less noticeable through her cloak.

"Your wife? But you look like you're only eighteen years old. And already travelling?"

"Twenty-one," Sasuke responded, making Sakura wonder if that really was his true age. She herself was only sixteen.

"A friend?" the other guard asked. "Wait, you look kind of familiar—"

"Hey!" someone yelled behind them through the gates. Spiky blonde hair and bright cerulean eyes. On his face were strange whisker-like markings. "Teme, you're here!"

"Naruto," Sasuke acknowledged. Sakura had to cough to cover her giggles—this was Sasuke's _friend_? They seemed like exact opposites.

"Oh, Uzumaki is the friend who you are staying with? If so, then you may pass." The guards stepped aside and the gates inched open. Sasuke gently grabbed Sakura's hand and led her inside as a gentleman would. She nearly fell over from shock—Sasuke was holding _her_ hand?

"Eh? Who's the girl?" Naruto smiled and nudged Sasuke in the side suggestively. Sighing, Sasuke immediately let go of her hand once they were out of the guards' sight.

"Someone who I got into this huge mess of mine…"

The two of them began a hushed conversation. Knowing that she should stay out of their business, Sakura fell back a few feet behind them. She finally straightened up from her hunched position, but she still kept the swords covered. There were still many people outside for it was only around seven or eight o' clock. Merchant stalls like the ones in Sakura's village, bars, blacksmith shops, inns, and two-story hovels lined the sides of the large cobblestone road. A few seconds later and they had stopped in front of Naruto's two-story home.

"I've already prepared the beds," Naruto said. "So make yourself at home. Hinata's already made dinner."

"Eh?" Sasuke smirked. "Who's the girl?"

Naruto blushed.

* * *

Chirping merrily, birds perched themselves on the window sill as sunlight glowed through the thin curtains of the bedroom window. The air was filled with the wonderful scent of cooked eggs and the homey sizzling sound of cooking.

Sakura hugged the warmth next to her closer, enjoying the feeling of a soft mattress and pillow after so long of not sleeping on a bed. Letting out an audible sigh of content, she hugged herself closer to…the warmth? She opened her eyes slowly only to meet the amused black eyes of none other than Sasuke.

"AHH!" She yelled, trying to get out of the bed, away from Sasuke, only to trip and crash onto the floor face first, her rear end facing upward. The position caused her night slip to slide up her back and expose her panties. Blushing madly, she scrambled up and pulled down her slip. A huge smirk played on Sasuke's lips as he watched her.

She blushed an even deeper red. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't, um… I didn't know that I was like hugging you and all that—"

The door to the small bedroom suddenly opened, and a long blue-haired woman with what seemed like no pupils peeked in. "I-is everything a-alright?"

"Ah, yeah, everything's okay, Hinata." Sakura let out a small laugh. How embarrassing.

"Oh o-okay… I just w-wanted t-to let you b-both know t-that breakfast is r-ready."

"Thank you, we'll be down in a second."

Hinata nodded once, and closed the door without another word. Without looking at Sasuke, Sakura said to him, "Wasn't I sleeping on the floor last night?"

He didn't answer.

"How did I end up in your bed?"

Still no answer.

"Sasuke?" she turned around to face him only to find that he was staring at the window, a slight pink tinge coloring his pale cheeks. Was he _blushing_? Or was that just the light?

_Whatever_, Sakura thought to herself, _it shouldn't matter._ After donning a small green dress that she had borrowed from Hinata, she left Sasuke, who was still in bed, for breakfast downstairs.

* * *

**Author's Note: Whoooooo got the next chapter out…finally. Wrote this in a day.**

**Enjoyed it? Hated it? Suggestions?**

**Leave a review ^^!**

**xoxotia**


	4. Chapter 4

**CHAPTER FOUR**

Sakura gritted her teeth as she held Sasuke's sword back with her own from slicing her head open. By now, their training was extremely intense and she had a feeling that Sasuke wasn't going that easy on her anymore; it had been half an hour since they started today and she was almost already completely worn out. Closing her eyes, she summoned the immense strength that Sasuke had praised her for, and pushed his sword away with a grunt. Before he could swing his sword back, she placed her foot next to him and slide sideways so his next strike hit nothing but air. Turning around to face his back, Sakura used all her strength to strike his unprotected back, hoping that today would be the day she would be able to beat him. She needn't hold back for she knew that if she did, Sasuke would just keep beating her over and over again. Every single spar since they started, she had never been able to land one strike of the sword on him. Most of her moves were purely defensive.

A second before her sword could make contact with his back, Sasuke completely disappeared from in front of her. Gasping, she nearly fell face flat into the ground from the force she had put in to her swing, but managed to catch herself by stepping forward and stopping her fall. What the hell? Where had he gone?

Half a second later, a cold metal was pressed against her throat.

"Good job," he whispered next to her ear, making her shiver slightly. He removed the small knife from her throat and stepped away from her back. "You've improved greatly. If I hadn't dodged your last attack, I probably would be severely wounded."

"B-but…" Sakura couldn't believe it. He had dodged her attack so fast? She didn't even see him move out of the way; it was as if he had teleported behind her. It was then did she realize that Sasuke _had _been going easy on her this entire time, not matter how hard the training seemed to her.

Just what on earth was he?

* * *

The soft _clomp, clomp_ of many horses sounded through the woods. Huge horses with gleaming coats as black as the midnight sky, dashing through the tall trees and overgrown bushes. And their riders, dark blue-cloaked men. In the front was a man with an intricately decorated cloak, followed by a trail of fifteen others with plain cloaks.

They came to an immediate halt when the man stopped his horse. Swinging himself off, he crouched as his feet made contact with the ground to soften his landing, and slowly rose up again. Making his way through the foliage, he slowed to a stop when he entered a small clearing among the trees. Kneeling down, he grasped a handful of dry soil in his black-gloved right hand and held it up to his nose.

"General, sir, what is it?" asked a soldier as he rode over to the clearing.

"They left…a trail..." he responded, so softly that the soldier could barely hear him. "Remains of a fire…are mixed in…"

The general loosened his grip on the handful of soil, letting the wind carry it away from his hand.

* * *

Trying her best not to make any noise, Sakura gently placed her foot down on the creaky stairs. It was dark, for it was about three hours past midnight, so she had to carefully feel around for the wooden rail.

When she had woken up just a few minutes ago, Sasuke had disappeared from the bedroom. Wondering where he had gone, she had slipped out of her room to find him.

Holding her breath, she stepped down and winced at the soft creak that resulted from her weight. She continued this process on the creaking steps until she reached the bottom, praying that she didn't wake up anyone. Her eyes by now had adjusted to the dark, and she could make out the different shapes in the room. To her right were two small couches and a table in between them and to her left were a carpet and the front door. Moving cautiously, she slowly tip-toed past the two couches and down the hallway until she spotted the door to a room she had not been in before. She could see the glowing of light under the door and hear muffled voices coming from the room.

Being as quiet as possible, she placed extremely slow steps closer and closer to the door until she finally reached it. Moving to the left of the door, crouching, she positioned her ear next to the crack.

"…and leave the village. I was putting her in danger."

She recognized it as Sasuke's voice. Was he talking about her?

"I see. You were lucky you were found, Sasuke… Or you might have died…"

The other voice she recognized as Naruto's.

"I agree. She nursed me back to my full health after the ambush… But my staying with her that long caused the dispatched soldiers to find me."

"Teme, you're always getting yourself into trouble. I don't know what I would do if I just suddenly lost you, old buddy."

Sasuke chuckled. "Sorry about that. Don't worry, though. I promise I'll try to stay alive—and Uchiha's never break a promise."

Uchiha? That name sounded familiar… Was that Sasuke's last name?

Naruto laughed. "You always say that. Anyway, what are you going to do now? I know they're still after you. The King probably isn't taking this well."

_The King?_ The King of Aiglatsia? What on earth had happened between Sasuke and the King?

"I know. I don't know what I'm going to do… But first I have to figure out what to do with Sakura."

"Oh yeah, I saw you two sparring the other day. She's pretty good."

"She's better than some of the knights I've trained with. Crazy strength and a quick learner."

Sakura couldn't help but let a small smile form on her lips. So she _had_ improved to be quite a good swordswoman, even in the eyes of Sasuke. Then she heard the sound of shifting around, and she held her breath, hoping they hadn't noticed her. A few seconds passed before someone spoke again.

"Aw man, the mead's all gone. Here, let me some more," said Naruto. She heard the dull clank of glass against wood and more shifting.

"There's no need. I think I'll return to bed. Sorry I disturbed you so late at night, I just figured it'd be a good time for me to talk and catch up since I couldn't sleep at all."

Taking this as her cue to leave, she rose from her position, the backs of her knees aching from being locked in a crouch for longer than usual. Using the noise they were making to her advantage, she quickly made her way back to the staircase and began her trip upstairs when she heard the door to their room open. Naruto and Sasuke were still talking, but keeping their voices low. Her pulse quickened, knowing she'd have some explaining to do if she was caught, and tried her best to move quickly up without causing a racket. Finally, she made it to their bedroom door and slipped inside, making sure to twist the doorknob to the right before shutting the door to prevent a loud _ka-click_ from sounding.

Heart pounding, she threw herself onto the bed and buried herself under the covers, trying to make it look like she was in a deep slumber. Blood rushed through her head while she feigned sleep. Attempting to calm her nerves, she forced her mind to think about soothing things; however, instead, her mind kept on going back to the conversation between Sasuke and Naruto that she had overheard just a few minutes ago. Uchiha… Uchiha… Where had she heard that before? She replayed the entire conversation again in her head.

That's when it hit her.

"_She's better than some of the knights I've trained with_," Sasuke had said.

Uchiha. He was an Uchiha. This explained _everything_—or mostly everything—that Sakura had questions about. The Uchihas were the most prestigious line of knights in the entire kingdom, probably in the entire _world_. That explained why Sasuke had godly fighting skills and how she could never beat him in any of their spars. It also explained his apparel—the clothes of an Aiglatsian soldier. But if he was part of the most recent generation of the Uchiha knights, then what was he doing here in Konoha? Wasn't he supposed to be off in Aiglatsia helping the king and dealing with whatever important business he had to deal with? She recalled Naruto mention the King not taking some situation very well, probably meaning Sasuke. Which meant that Sasuke had run away from Aiglatsia, which meant that he had committed treason. Which explained why he—no, the both of them—were being followed by soldiers.

But why had Sasuke run away?

Her thoughts were cut short by a small click. The door opened, and Sasuke quietly entered, closing the door softly behind him. Face completely relaxed as she tried to feign sleep, she held her breath. Instead of going straight to his makeshift bed on the floor,—they traded off sleeping places every night—he slowly approached her bed. Trying not to move at all, her whole body tensed as she sensed him right next to her. A few moments later, she felt his fingers ghost against her forehead, and then brush away a few strands of her hair. His gentle touch sent electricity coursing through her veins and her pulse quickened once more, except not from fear this time, but from a feeling she couldn't describe.

A full minute passed before she heard him move again; he moved over to his own bed and slipped under the covers, letting out a long sigh. She cautiously opened her eyes and turned her head slightly to the left to get quick look at him: he had his hands under his head, his elbows faced outward, his eyes fixed on the ceiling, looking deep in his own thoughts. Turning away, her back to him, Sakura slowly let out the breath she was holding and closed her eyes.

* * *

Flames blazed high into the night sky, contrasting with the chill of the night. Screams of young children, women, and men resounded in the air as blue-cloaked men destroyed homes with lit torches and drawn swords. Slashed-open bodies left to die in puddles of their own blood littered the street, and the less fortunate suffered from being burnt to a crisp in the fire. Women carrying their children ran for their lives into the forest, but they didn't get very far. Men tried to protect themselves or the remaining members of their family, but they were killed and thrown out of the way.

"Tell me…" a soldier hissed, gripping a brown-haired woman by the neck, raising her above the ground. "I gave you more than a _week_ to find her, and usually we're not that _lenient_. So now I'll ask you one last time. _Where_…_ is_… _she_?"

Tears streamed down her cheek. "I… She disappeared," she choked, "before you came back, I _promise_, sir… _Please_…"

"Useless." He tossed her to the side like a rag-doll and she landed on the street, next to a bloody corpse. "You're all useless!"

"Lore!" someone cried from behind the soldier—another soldier, but this time on a black horse that he recognized as the army's horse. "Lore, they're not here anymore. They've already left this village. The general found evidence up north of their departure. He told me to check up on this area and inform you."

"Aelar? That you?" Lore squinted at the figure, his vision impaired by the smog from the fires.

"Yes."

"Shit! So they _have_ escaped. What do we do now?"

Aelar looked around, pulling on the reigns of the horse as he tried to calm it down. It was unnerved by the intense heat from the fire and the suffocating smoke.

"Take everyone else that's alive prisoner."

* * *

It had been a week since Sakura and Sasuke's arrival in Naruto's village. Sakura loved this village mainly because of Naruto's and Hinata's generosity and cozy house. Even though some nights she had to sleep on the floor, she didn't mind at all. It was a lot better than sleeping outside on the hard ground in the cold, with only a fire and some thin blankets for warmth. And plus, Hinata's cooking was absolutely amazing. Sakura had gotten to know Hinata a lot better, realizing that under her shy exterior was actually a passionate and strong personality; this, Hinata had told her, was what she had grown to become with the help of Naruto. Naruto himself was generally easygoing, but extremely headstrong—which was a good thing, since he had good moral beliefs. Needless to say, both Naruto and Hinata quickly became Sakura's close friends. And, needless to say, Sakura was happy.

But the only thing that constantly nagged her was why Sasuke had run away from Aiglatsia. Ever since that night three nights ago, she'd been strangely quiet around him, always debating over whether to ask him or not. Every single time she had told herself that Sasuke probably wouldn't tell her, even if she had admitted that she had overheard him and Naruto talking about it. Even during their spars did she only answer with a mere "okay" or a single nod. She was simply too distracted. And she was also distracted by what else that happened that very same night of Sasuke and Naruto's conversation—how Sasuke had brushed away the bangs from her face. Now every single time she saw him, she would remember the way he touched her and the same electric feeling would make her body shiver.

On the seventh night during their stay, Sakura had gone up into the bedroom after excusing herself early from dinner. Sitting down in a wooden chair in front of a vanity mirror, she pulled out a brush and ran it through her shoulder-length pink hair, thinking about Sasuke's past. A moment later, the bedroom door opened and Sakura saw by the mirror's reflection that Sasuke had stepped into the room.

"Sakura?" He walked over and sat down on the edge of the bed.

"Hm?" She responded, still brushing her hair.

"Are you alright?"

"What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean."

Sakura set her brush down on the table and turned to face him. This was it—she had made up her mind; she would demand an explanation right now. It couldn't hurt to ask…could it?

"Sasuke, I've been wondering these past few days—"

She was abruptly interrupted when their bedroom door swung open. Naruto dashed in, followed by a worried-looking Hinata.

"Sakura! We've just received news that your village has been…burnt down and almost completely destroyed." The blonde gave her a pained expression, knowing the news would take a big toll on her.

"Completely destroyed?" Sakura echoed. "…Completely _destroyed_?"

They watched as she reached out and grabbed the headboard of the bed as support. Images of her mother's dead body burning in flames flashed in her mind. All because she didn't stay to help her. All because she chose to run away. And _Caleb_—oh God, no… Not Caleb… His carefree smile replaced by the image of his lifeless face.

"Sakura…" Sasuke looked hesitant in reaching out to comfort her, but couldn't stop from catching her when she completely blacked out. They all wore solemn expressions as he lifted her onto the bed.

"We need to leave," Sasuke said slowly but firmly, "before we put this entire village in danger as well."

"…You're right, teme… It seems like they'll stop at nothing to get you back. By the way… The village was destroyed about three days ago. So that means they're well on their way to—"

A loud scream sounded in the night.

"What was that?" Sasuke turned to look outside of the window.

"Probably nothing," Naruto said dismissively. "Anyway, we need to plan—"

Another scream arose, followed by more screams.

"That wasn't nothing, dobe." He rose from the bed and strode over to the window, pushing aside the thin curtains. "I can't see anything, dammit… It seems the screaming is up near the entrance."

"Like I said, teme, probably nothing."

"No, wait. I think I see…"

A second later, Sasuke closed the curtain in a flash and turned around.

"They're not well on their way here, Naruto. They already are here."

Naruto's face blanched as Hinata's solemn expression was replaced with a look of great fear.

"Okay. Listen to me. The plan is to go pack everything you need _right now_, we can't waste time," Sasuke ordered as he began to rush around the room, throwing all of Sakura's belongings into her small pack, "We'll meet at the back door in five minutes. Go!"

The three of them separated quickly, knowing not to spare each minute. Sasuke worriedly glanced at Sakura's face before he began packing his own things. About to pack his blue cloak, a plan formed in his mind and he hesitated. Throwing on the cloak and putting up his hood, he pulled on his black boots and clasped his and Sakura's sword onto his belt. Then he quickly brought out Sakura's own thin cloak and hurriedly dressed her.

Knowing it would hurt when she woke up, he tried his best to be gentle when he threw her over his shoulder like a sack, along with his and her packs.

It was about four minutes when they all met at the back door.

"I'll be fine, Naruto. You and Hinata should go separate directions from us. I know you can protect yourselves."

Naruto gave him a wide smile despite the situation they were in and squeezed Hinata's hand gently. "Of course. I promise I'll be fine. And Uzumaki's never break a promise."

Sasuke smirked as he opened the door. The screaming and cries got louder and louder as the soldiers made their way down the street. "I'll be fine, too, dobe. You go first, they won't suspect me with my cloak on."

With one last nod, Naruto dashed away into the darkness of the alleyways, followed by Hinata, who looked back at them worriedly over her shoulder. Sasuke smiled and nodded, indicating that he would be fine and watched them until they had completely disappeared. Readjusting the unconscious girl on his shoulder, he ran through the buildings, avoiding all the slain bodies on the street. Sakura's silky pink hair whipped against his arm as they flew past buildings, her soft chest pressing into his back... He shook his head: they were in a dire situation and he was still being distracted by her? He could only hope that they wouldn't be spotted.

But luck wasn't on his side today as a soldier who was about to throw a lit torch into an already wrecked house caught sight of him.

"Hey you!" he yelled over the screaming. Sasuke heard him but he didn't stop running. "You, stop right there! You have the girl!"

The girl? So they _had_ indentified Sakura ever since they had left her village and had associated her with him. The other soldiers were too busy killing and burning to notice him when he got to the gates—the forced open gates that were now a crumpled heap of metal where they used to be.

"You there, soldier—I told you to stop! Stop him, he has the girl!"

Other soldiers caught sight of him as he passed by the ruined gates. Turning left, he planned to go into the woods and lose track of them, but he felt a searing pain through his left arm that made him flinch and almost lose balance from the weight he was carrying on his right shoulder. An arrow had embedded itself a few inches above his elbow. He quickly regained his composure, ignoring the pain spreading through his arm, but he couldn't recover to his original speed. The soldiers caught up to him in less than a minute.

"Who are you?" The soldier who had initially spotted him stepped forward, his bloodied sword drawn and about ready to strike at any moment. Just as Sasuke was about to pull out his own sword, the cold November wind blew off his hood.

He didn't even have time to unsheathe his sword before he was suddenly attacked by quick strikes from nearly all of the soldiers. Trying to move his left arm, he winced and nearly got hit by a blade to his left. Dodging their attacks was proving futile as the swords slashed deeper and deeper, splashing his own blood onto his face. He was surrounded, heavily wounded, and weaponless, for his left arm was now completely useless and his right hand had to make sure Sakura was kept tight over his shoulder.

Sasuke had no choice.

"Shit, he's using it! He's using it!" screamed one of them, who had immediately stopped attacking right when Sasuke's black irises became clouded with a glowing blood red. Swiftly, he threw Sakura over his other shoulder, gritting his teeth as he locked his pained left arm over her waist. In the next second, the last thing the soldiers saw was a billowing blue cloak flashing past them as their necks were snapped in two.

Without sparing the fallen bodies another glance, Sasuke sprinted into the cover of the woods. Once he was out of sight, his eyes flashed back to their original obsidian black. But before he could move on, darkness surrounded his vision slowly until it completely took over his mind.

He toppled over, falling on his side, and let Sakura fall to the ground beside him as his body went completely slack.

* * *

**Author's Note: Ahh, I hope you enjoyed that chapter!**

**Again, wrote this in a day…**

**xoxotia**


	5. Chapter 5

**CHAPTER FIVE**

The pitch black darkness of the night sheltered the two collapsed figures among the foliage of Konoha Forest from sight. Suddenly, two bright green eyes blinked furiously open. Sakura slowly pushed herself up, her mind a wreck, for she had no earthly idea just where she was or how she got there.

"Hello?..." she called out softly. A second later, she heard the shifting of a body next to her and nearly screamed, but she managed to recognize Sasuke's pale face under the speckles of moonlight that pierced through the coverage of the trees.

"Sasuke", Sakura whispered. "Wake up."

He did not move. She placed her hands on his chest to shake him, but she immediately withdrew them.

"Oh, God." Holding her hands up to what little light she had, she could see the traces of dried blood. "Oh, no."

Stripping away Sasuke's shirt, she examined the vicious wounds that covered most of his body, along with the deep arrow wound on his forearm. With deeper examination, the swollen redness and yellow patchiness of his skin around the arrow alerted her that he had been poisoned. Without hesitation, she scrambled for his pack, hoping that her belongings would be in there. Thankfully, and rather quickly, she found her small bag of herbs and bandages. She spread the crushed petals and juices of hornfire over his wounds, and patted it gently around the arrow wound. For the next few minutes, Sakura treated the deep gashes and cleaned away the blood, using everything she could find in the pack and around her on the forest ground. Around half an hour into her treatment, Sasuke finally stirred, and slowly opened his eyes.

"Sakura…?" he whispered weakly, his clouded black eyes glistening under the moonlight.

"Shh", Sakura placed a finger on his lips. "You've been badly injured. I'm taking care of it. From the looks of it, you'll be fine and should be healing in just a few days."

He didn't answer her, just stared up at the tree branches.

"Sasuke?"

He tilted his head up slightly, letting her know that he was listening.

"What happened?"

"The village got raided. Naruto and Hinata are okay, they got away. They saw you though, and started to attack me."

Sakura wiped his forehead with a clean, wet towel in silence. They attacked him because of her? Or was it because _him_? She couldn't tell from his mostly emotionless tone whether he was lying or not. But then again, she could never tell anything about him.

"I'm sorry", she mumbled.

His gaze fixed onto her. "There is no need to be sorry. It was not your fault."

"It was my fault you got hurt. If you hadn't taken me with you, you would have come out fine."

A minute passed before he spoke again. "You are my responsibility, Sakura."

This was somewhat true, for he was the one that had put her in danger in the first place, but still—just why exactly was he running away from these Aiglatsian soldiers? The first time she tried asking him anything, they were interrupted with traumatizing news…

"Oh. Oh, my God", Sakura bit her lip as she remembered just what the traumatizing news consisted of, and tried her hardest to prevent the tears from spilling over; however, to no avail, the tears spilled over and streamed down her face. Before she could cover her face with her hands, she felt warm fingers wiping away her tears. Sasuke had lifted his hand to her face, giving her a faintly puzzled look.

"Did I say something wrong?" Sasuke murmured. She shook her head, unable to speak. Minutes passed before either of them spoke. It was then that Sakura managed to say, "They killed my mom… and Caleb."

Her declarative statement only made her cry harder. Sasuke pushed himself up, wincing at the immense pain, but placed his hand on her shoulder reassuringly. "Your mother is alive."

"…How do you know?"

"She has information they need. They would keep her alive. I'm also sure Caleb is fine, as he also holds information about you."

This seemed to comfort her to the point where she could stop crying and recover. Sighing, she looked down.

"You should lie down or your wounds will open up once more and probably get infected", Sakura said as she helped him back down. "I'm going to go out and scout for more herbs and see where we are. By the looks of it, it will only be a couple more hours before the sun starts to rise."

She took his silence as acknowledgement and rose with a small bag and her sword, leaving him covered in his heavy cloak. Trekking through the forest, she marked her trail by shallowly slicing the bark of the trees as she searched for any herbs. Occasionally stopping to fill her sack with useful plants, Sakura contemplated whether or not to return to Sasuke to check up on him—but she was sure he was fine. What could go wrong? The Aiglatsian soldiers surely would be gone by now.

Just then, the quiet chatter of men drifted through the trees. Freezing in her place, she strained her ears to catch what they were saying, but she was too far away. Gently, she tiptoed slowly toward the sound of voices, making sure not to make too much noise. Sakura eventually found herself near the edge of the forest, where the trickling sound of water made it evident that those men were resting near a river. By the sound of their conversation, they had been there for quite a while.

"When do you think we'll have to move out again?" One man said.

"In a little while", another responded.

"Ugh, I hope so. I'm tired as hell."

Sakura crouched down. She couldn't see anyone, for too many leaves blocked her vision. Carefully, she eased the branches apart and peered through the small opening in the vegetation. A small campfire. Four black horses. Four men, all in blue cloaks. Soldiers.

Shit.

She stayed quiet, hoping to get more information out of them.

"We're all tired. We've been searching all night for that stupid prince. We can't even find the girl, for God's sake", complained a soldier with dirty blonde hair.

Prince? Sakura assumed they were referring to Sasuke.

"The general is going to kill us if we don't find them. We've been searching for hours."

"The prince can't be too far from here, and neither should the girl. The two should be together. If we find them, it's like killing two birds with one stone", responded another soldier. Out of the entire group, he seemed the most serious—his black hair and solemn expression only added to the effect. In fact, he was probably the leader.

"We found so many dead soldiers near the forest, unless… Well, he probably already has gone ahead. And if he has, this whole thing was so stupid." The soldier who spoke kicked a rock into the fire. The flame flickered.

"Oh, shut up, Aelar. It's better than being in the unit that has to search through all the dead bodies back in the village."

Sakura took a step back. She had to let Sasuke know the soldiers were still here.

"Hey, did you hear that?" One of them turned toward where she was standing, curiously looking around.

"Yeah, sounds like an animal. Probably a rabbit."

"God, I'm hungry. Maybe we can kill it."

This wasn't good. Sakura slowly let the branches back to their original structure, but to no avail, the leaves rustled and the branches crackled loudly.

"Oh, that's no rabbit", sneered the black-haired soldier as he lunged forth and slashed away the tree branches with his sword, revealing a wide-eyed Sakura.

"It's her!" The other soldier—Aelar—yelled. The other two started toward her, but the one closest to her had already tried tackling her to the floor. She quickly dodged his attack and unsheathed her sword in the process.

The soldiers paused and shot each other amused looks.

"So you have a sword? How cute", sneered one of them.

"Don't underestimate her", the black-haired soldier growled, and unsheathed his own sword.

"Cynric, what are you doing? The orders were to not hurt her—"

Sakura used this little diversion to swing her sword into the side of this so-called "Cynric", but he swiftly blocked her with his sword. Ducking to avoid his next attack, she smirked as she tripped the soldier, and sent a painful kick to his face as he fell.

"You _bitch_!" he snarled as he landed on the dirt, grasping his soon-to-be bruised face. "What are you guys doing, just standing there? _Get her_!"

Realizing she would have to take on four soldiers at once, Sakura prayed to the gods, hoping she would come out alive. As they advanced toward her, she thrust her sword into the side of the tree, swung herself upward, and pulled her sword out of the bark—this time using the momentum to help herself onto a large, sturdy branch. This would give her a moment to think about her next move, for the other soldiers merely gawked at her from below and wondered just how on earth they could reach her. Just then, an agonizing thought struck her—would she have to kill them at one point? If all she did was run away, they would just go back to this "general" and report more information about them, but could she actually bring herself to _kill_ them, much less shed any blood, if all she had been taught her whole life was how to heal the injured and the sick? She stared down at the soldiers, whom, at that point, had secured bows and arrows in their hands. She couldn't fathom the thought of stabbing another person, couldn't fathom the way she would have to watch the life leave their eyes. Could she…?

_Do it_.

Those two words resonated through her mind, coursing through the veins of her body, her entire being, as any questions of doubt—any thoughts of regret—slipped away into the corners of her mind. A kind of hunger, a thirst, that she had never experienced before emerged from the core of her body—slowly at first—but rapidly spread throughout her; this liberating feeling blacked out her thoughts, filling her completely. It was when the first arrow whizzed toward her that her numbed mind felt some kind of snap, but it was a kind of muffled snap—like some far away majestic structure just gave up holding its own and broke.

_Do it._

She caught the arrow by the shaft in one swift motion, the metal tip inches away from her chin, her pink hair billowing softly behind her.

Cynric sucked in a short breath. "Oh, fuck."

Jumping down from the branch, she flung the arrow back, returning it the soldier who shot it. He keeled over, the arrow embedded deep in his chest, blood spraying the air, spraying the dirt underneath him.

Cynric watched, unblinking.

"It's over", he whispered.

Sakura charged forward at the two soldiers in front of her, deftly decapitating them both with one quick stroke of her sword. More blood splattered across her face, across her shirt.

The black-haired soldier fell to his knees, keeping his eyes on her emotionless face.

Her glowing green eyes and his own blood were the last things he saw.

* * *

**Author's Note: Whew! That took me a while to write. It was kind of short compared to the other chapters, though, so I apologize. **

**I'm excited for his fic. Are you? :D**

**Anyway, please review! Reviews keep me going, most definitely. They keep me motivated. So if you want to see more, just keep reviewing!**

**Much love, **

**Tia**


	6. Chapter 6

**CHAPTER SIX**

Sasuke had been waiting, suffused with aching and exhaustion. What was taking her so long? It had been ten minutes already and he hadn't heard a single deviation from the woodsy silence—perhaps it wouldn't hurt to let his idleness lull him back into a willing unconsciousness...

Suddenly, as his eyelids began to feel heavy, there was shouting—

He snapped his head to the side, wincing all the while, toward the source of the subdued noises. He knew: Sakura was in danger. Without hesitation, he began the slow and painful trek through the foliage, his cloak dragging behind. More shouting. He hurried his pace as much as he could—it wasn't much, but he strained against hindrance of his throbbing, wounded chest and his near-dead arm and pushed through the branches and bushes. Then, a minute later, just as the noises were getting louder, they stopped as abruptly as they had started.

After five more minutes of groping his way through the woods, his ears caught on to the sound of whimpering. He adjusted his path and limped toward it. It wasn't long before he stepped into something that cushioned the sole of his boot with a squish. Sasuke looked down.

It was a decapitated head.

Slightly confused, he continued on through the trees until he reached the clearing. And that's when he saw it all. Blood—just blood everywhere. Splattered on the tree trunks, soaked into the dirt, still leaking out from the bodies littering the ground. But among the morbid scene of it all lied a whimpering Sakura, curled into a ball, her dingy pink hair sprinkled with crimson, her skin caked with a mixture of dirt and blood, her equally as bloodied hands grasping so feverishly onto chunks of her bangs.

"Sakura," he said. It posed more of a question than a signal for her attention—was it really her? She lifted her head from her hands, meeting his look of bewilderment with her own frenzied eyes—the unmistakable green snapped Sasuke out of his doubt and he rushed to her, ignoring the pain wracking his body with every step he took.

"Sakura, what happened?" He kneeled down and lifted her torso up against him, attempting to cradle her small frame as best he could.

"I don't _know_," she gasped, "I don't _know_—why, why, _why_,wh...nnn..."

"Hey," Sasuke smoothed her bangs away from her face as she let out an uncontrollable whine, "It's fine, I'm here, it's going to be alright."

Rocking her back and forth, he used the rag she gave him earlier to wipe away the blood from her face. He was careful; he brushed the cloth against her skin softly as if he were afraid she'd break under his touch. It was a while before she calmed down to the point of coherence.

"Sasuke, I don't know what happened. One minute they were here—the soldiers—and they found me, they found me, and I..."

"You what?"

"I started to panic, and I... I don't know, I don't even remember. One moment they were all here and the next they were..."

She gestured to the mutilated corpses around them. "And this blood—none of it's mine..."

He tried to fit the pieces together in his mind. So she essentially blacked out and she turned out completely uninjured but everyone else had died a gruesome death? There was only one sensible explanation for this, but Sasuke didn't believe it. Surely there was no way Sakura could be one of _them_. But there was no other way to explain it and deep down, with a sense all too familiar to him, he knew what had happened to her—he just didn't want to acknowledge the truth.

"Has this happened before?"

"No," Sakura said. "I would remember. What's wrong?"

"Nothing," he lied. "Don't worry about it."

"Don't worry about it?" She felt the urge to laugh. "Are you kidding? I'm sitting in blood that's not mine, covered in blood that's not mine, and—"

"Fine. I'll tell you," Sasuke shifted against her weight. "I think what you experienced was a result of your own actions. I think you're the one who killed them all. I think... well, I think you're not normal, Sakura, but it's okay. You're going to be fine."

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"Sakura, listen. I know what this is. You're a silverling."

"A _silverling_? No, no, no, that's ridiculous—"

Sasuke grabbed her shoulder, slightly shaking her, "Just look around you! You think someone else did this? I know what this is. You've had this power all along but it hasn't been awakened until now, because it was your first time facing real danger and you panicked, didn't you?"

She nodded, not knowing what to say.

"So you panicked and it came out of you—sort of like a defense mechanism—and that's what happened. You couldn't control it because you haven't learned to control it. It was an extreme response to an extreme situation."

She wanted to say he was crazy, that he had no idea what he was talking about. But there was no other way to understand what had just happened to her.

"So a silverling, huh?" Sakura mumbled, unsure of how to feel as she took it all in. "Never would have thought."

"You'll be fine. Silverlings born without a magic background are extremely rare, though, so you're special."

Sasuke's comment didn't sit easily with Sakura. Her mom was definitely not a silverling—_especially_ not a Chosen one—but she wasn't sure about her father. She never knew him, so she couldn't say. But her mother never once spoke about her father to Sakura—wouldn't her mother at least mention it to her if her father had magical abilities?

"Newly awakened powers are sporadic in the sense that they usually come in involuntary surges like an adrenaline rush, but you can learn to control them to your own will. I'll help you but we can do that later."

Sasuke stood up, helping Sakura up with him. "We need to get rid of these bodies and find a place to recuperate."

She nodded and began to get to work.

* * *

**Author's Note: Hey, it's been a while. I'm in college now and finals are coming up and it's 5 AM so why the hell am I updating now? **

**I don't know, but here's a short chapter to get me back into the swing of things.**

**Enjoy!**


	7. Chapter 7

**CHAPTER SEVEN**

Silverling.

Sakura still couldn't wrap her brain around it. A silverling was a human with magical abilities—or rather, supernatural abilities. True magical abilities lied with the Chosen ones, the ones who could control the different elements in their purest forms such as earth, fire, and wind. The silverlings were essentially a much weaker form of the Chosen ones, sometimes even referred to as halflings; they possessed only a very limited amount of magic—only enough to enhance a silverling's inner strength.

The Chosen ones were an ancient race. Many viewed them not as humans, but as demigods. The old stories said they were among the first ones to walk the earth, but their true origin remained unknown—and, perhaps, would never be uncovered. Over a century ago, the triumvirate kingdoms of Aiglatsia, Gribaen, and Iberalle agreed to completely wipe out what remained of the Chosen ones (for they comprised only a small percent of the population), as the kings wanted nothing to stand in their way of complete power; ever since then, through a long and bloody witch hunt, the three kingdoms hunted down hundreds of the Chosen ones. The few that were fortunate enough not to have gotten caught went into hiding, never to be heard from again.

The silverlings were spared for mostly political reasons: due to their incredible supernatural strength, many silverling bloodlines served as knights under the kings, and many other silverling families were renowned nobility. The triumvirate kingdoms deemed silverlings not powerful enough to pose a credible threat to the kings' rule.

And here Sakura was, a supposed silverling herself. It had been a day since her blackout or rather, murderous rampage, and she still couldn't take it all in. Everything was happening so quickly—just a couple of weeks ago, she was a lowly peasant girl living in the middle of a small village.

"How are you feeling?" Sasuke's voice brought her out of her thoughts. He was lying on a couple of blankets she had laid out for him.

"I'm fine. I should be asking you the same," she replied, a small smile on her face as she tended to his chest. He had been giving her more attention since the incident last night even though he was the one who needed the medical treatment. After disposing the bodies into the river, they had collected the soldiers' supplies (mostly stale bread) and moved on. They hadn't gotten far because of Sasuke's wounds, but they managed to set up camp a ways away northwest from the river bank, deciding that they'd alter their path a little bit to throw the dispatched soldiers off their trail somewhat. According to Sasuke, there was a village called the Grass Village coming up ahead in a day's time—it was a small, lesser known area, and the people who lived there didn't get too involved with outside affairs and, in turn, no one really bothered them. Though he wasn't familiar with anybody there, it would be the optimal place for him to recuperate.

"That should be good," Sakura said as she finished smoothing a thin yellow paste onto his chest wounds. Earlier, before applying the paste, she had stitched together the gashes on his body—her mother used to let Sakura stitch up her patients as one of the few things she was allowed to do, so she knew the procedure quite well. Sasuke watched quietly as she wrapped his torso up in bandages.

"Thank you," he murmured. Though barely audible, it startled her. She couldn't remember the last time a _thank you _came out of his mouth—or had it ever? Not knowing what to say (a simple _you're welcome_ didn't seem right for such a rare moment), she instead pretended not to have heard him and focused on wrapping up his wounds.

"There we go," she said, tying together the last of the bandages. "You can get the stitches off in a few days, just don't strain yourself."

He gave her small nod. "Understood."

"Well, while you're resting, I'm going to go look for some herbs. I saw a lot while we were walking, and I should stock up—"

"No," he breathed. "Stay."

Sakura wasn't sure if he wanted her to stay because, well, the last time she left him didn't turn out so great, or because he genuinely wanted her to be with him. Whatever the case, she chose not to question it and stayed, lying down with him on the blankets.

Together, they gazed up at the comfort of a blue sky in quiescence. After a while, Sakura let the pull of exhaustion carry her into a deep slumber. Sasuke watched as her body went slack and her head rolled to the side, long strands of pink hair fanning out from underneath. When he was sure she was asleep, he grazed his fingers across her forehead, brushing aside her bangs, and let his own weariness overtake him, taking one last look at her face before dozing off.

* * *

"You just need to envision the power in you, like it's growing from inside of you. Picture it however you want—assigning it a color usually helps—but it ultimately doesn't matter. Then you should feel the warmth."

This was Sasuke's fifth attempt at explaining how to garner her silverling magic, but Sakura couldn't understand it. No matter how hard she tried, she didn't feel the warm buzzing through her body he had mentioned earlier, either. The only warmth she felt came from the small fire they had lit for the night.

"Sorry, I just—well, I just can't," she sighed, dropping her hands to her side with disappointment. The concept of magic was too foreign for her.

"It's fine, some people take longer than others to learn how to access it. Try again."

"Okay." She took another deep breath, trying to imagine a green energy spreading out from her core. _Focus... focus... focus..._ she repeated in her head, her eyebrows furrowed, her hands balled up into tight fists at her sides. After a minute of intensive concentration, she sighed again in frustration.

"I'm just not getting it!"

"Here," Sasuke stepped close to her and took her hands. "If you put your hands like this, it'll help," he said as he positioned her hands together in a complicated formation. "That way your body can be more connected, like you're closing a loop—a circuit, if you will."

Except Sakura couldn't concentrate on his words; she couldn't help but focus her attention on his hands over hers, how his fingers clasped over own, how his callused palms brushed against her knuckles. It was especially cold that night, but somehow his hands were still incredibly warm. It didn't help that he was standing so close to her, either; his expression wasn't the usual mask of indifference, but rather he showed a less guarded exterior, as if he were unintentionally exposing a softer side to her. Seconds later, he released his hold on her hands, completely unaware of her internal reaction to his close presence and his touch.

"Now try it like that."

"How about later? This is really draining." She knelt down next to the fire and held her hands out, catching the warmth of the flames. Sasuke nodded. He knelt down with her.

She couldn't figure him out. Not like she ever could, but especially now; he was acting so uncharacteristically... well, not distant towards her. Maybe he felt a need to protect her, or maybe she had become more valuable to him now that he knew she was a silverling. And on top of that, how did he seem to know so much about it? Then she remembered she had never gotten the chance to ask him about his past, but was now a good time to do it?

_Just ask him already, it can't hurt_. _He either answers or he doesn't. Simple. _

"Sasuke?"

"Hn."

"I've been meaning to ask..."

Sakura paused, ready to gauge Sasuke's reaction.

"...why did you run away? From the king I mean."

He didn't answer at first. As she expected, the usual emotionless expression on his face didn't waver, as if he had been waiting for this all along, and he kept his sharp gaze fixed on her. But then, after a few more moments, he interrupted the silence.

"I should have told you a while ago; you deserve to know the trouble you're getting involved in anyway. But before I go on, how much do you know?"

She hesitated, but told him she had overheard part of his conversation with Naruto from over a week ago.

"So you know I'm an Uchiha."

"Yes."

"Then you know there are only two of us left—me and my brother. The Aiglatsian king is the head of the triumvirate and we are supposed to serve under him, but they want to take something that is ours and use it for their own power-hungry purposes. We're next in line for the throne, which is why they're so eager to take it from us."

"What do they want from you?"

He turned his back towards her, pulled down the collar of his shirt, and bared the back of his neck to her. Though she'd seen him shirtless plenty of times, she had never paid close enough attention to notice a strange circular tattoo with a comma-like pattern.

"The Uchihas are one of the most powerful non-silverling knights, but my brother and I were both born with magic in our blood. Very few people know this. This marking is a transfer mechanism that'll allow the king to drain me of my magic—the king has one on his neck as well. I have no idea how he managed to create it. The only explanation is if he used a Chosen one's magic to construct it, and that in itself just begs the question of how he got access to a Chosen one. The bottom line is that the king is targeting all the strong silverlings and wants to become like a Chosen one, probably even more powerful than that, through the use of force. I ran away because he has a lot of people working for him—people who he's promised a similar kind of power. The kings of the other triumvirate kingdoms are in on it too."

Though it was a lot for Sakura to take in—first, that Sasuke himself was also a silverling, and second, that the kingdom was in a lot more trouble than she knew—she managed to process the information rather quickly.

"So what do we do?"

"I haven't figured that part out yet," he admitted. "It was only a day after I found out about it when I tried to get away and you found me not much later."

They sat in silence as the fire's heat warmed their bodies. Sasuke shifted into a more comfortable position, lying down on his back so as to not strain his body; Sakura kept her kneeling position, deep in thought. Tomorrow morning they would finally reach the small village, but what about after that? It was no longer just him they were after; they were after Sakura as well. Now they had more of an incentive to capture her—to take away her magic—but wouldn't that just leave her to be the normal girl she thought she was until just two days ago? There seemed to be a darker implication within Sasuke's words, something he wasn't telling her. What exactly happened to silverlings if they had the magic drained out of them?

She glanced at him, but he was already fast asleep.

With her village destroyed and the triumvirate after her, did she really have much of a choice but to keep running? Sakura looked down at her hands. They were calloused and dirty, but she liked them that way. Before she had stumbled upon Sasuke, her life had been nothing but a normal and such a..._ plain_ existence, a peasant girl without a future beyond the borders of a small village. But now she was free of that life. Now she was useful. Now she could use her powers for the greater good. And most of all, now she could determine her own fate.

Sakura was determined to go on.

* * *

If they didn't have their cloaks, the two of them would've drawn too much attention from the villagers. Luckily, Sakura's hood hid her pink hair well and the heavy fabric covered their weapons from sight. Sasuke was right when he said the village was small—the Grass Village was much smaller than her own, but the rusticity of the area carried its own charm.

They had reached the village by midday and had gotten a room at an inn. When they walked in for the first time, however, they noticed there was only one bed. One very small bed.

"Sorry, but this is the best I can do fer yeh. Lotsa travelers jus' like yeh passin' through these days," the innkeeper told them before waddling away.

Before Sasuke could say anything, Sakura said, "You're sleeping on the bed; I'll take the floor. You're wounded and as a healer, it's my job to make sure you get better."

She thought she saw his brows furrow slightly, as if he were about to object, but his face immediately resumed his usual calm expression. He nodded in agreement—it was only logical to let him take the bed.

It was only the afternoon, so they agreed to meet back at the inn in a few hours time. Sakura planned to stock up on food and medicine while Sasuke would ask around about any strange visitors or incidents to make sure they weren't being followed.

The path to the marketplace was an interesting one. Though the village was small, it was divided into sections and much of it was hidden from sight in heavy foliage; she would've easily gotten lost had she not asked for directions. Along the dirt path through the thick vegetation, however, she noticed music and chatter floating through the trees. Curious, she wandered off the path towards the source of the noise. It didn't take her long before she found herself standing in front of a large tavern, a great stone building wrapped in a lush coat of ivy. Needless to say, she was fascinated.

She ventured in, having never been in a tavern before. Corpulent men occupied the seats around rectangular wooden tables, each holding a large brass cup of frothy mead, laughing uproariously at one another's stories. Past the rows of tables was a bar, half full of patrons, a young woman with long blonde hair serving drinks.

Sakura approached the bar and sat down on a stool.

"Haven't seen you around before," the barmaid noted loudly as she passed a drink to the man sitting next to her, a welcoming smile on her face. "Are you a traveler passing through?"

"Something like that," Sakura replied cautiously.

"Don't see many girls travelling by themselves. You must be a brave one."

"Oh, I'm here with someone. I just wanted to explore the village a bit on my own."

"I see," the barmaid said. "Well my name's Ino, so nice to meet you..."

"Sakura."

"Sakura," Ino smiled again. "Want anything to drink?"

She shook her head—she couldn't waste money on alcohol right now.

"Well, let me know," the blonde barmaid turned around, occupied with another order.

Before Sakura could stand up from her seat, the man sitting next to her turned to face her. His hood was also up, and he had a black face mask that covered his left eye.

"You know," he began, his one-eyed gaze locked onto her.

"You look a lot like your father."

* * *

**Author's Note: This chapter was really Sakura-centric, but it's a big part of the story/character development. I promise there is more SasuSaku to come.**

**Also, I hope you guys like the whole premise of the story. Please review! It'll help me stay motivated to write, especially through finals week.**


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